TY - JOUR
T1 - Developing an equitable measure of parent engagement in early childhood education for urban schools
AU - Gross, Deborah Ann
AU - Bettencourt, Amie F.
AU - Holmes Finch, W.
AU - Plesko, Corinne
AU - Paulson, Rachael
AU - Singleton, Demetria L.
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors gratefully acknowledge the contributions of the PEECE Project Advisory Board members Yolanda Abel, Kim Cox, Michelle Daniels, Corey Ennis Jr, Joyce Epstein, Genevieve “Joyce” Hamer, Joseph Manko, Aleesha Manning, Lori Morgan, and Judivelly Torres; Faith Connolly and the Baltimore Education Research Consortium for providing the administrative academic data for this study; Rabia Syed for editorial assistance; Lieny Jeon for your critique of earlier drafts of this paper; and Baltimore City Public Schools parents, staff, and district leadership for their support and commitment to parent engagement. This study was funded by a grant from the Institute of Education Science, US Department of Education through grant #R305H170027. The opinions are those of the authors and do not represent views of the Institute or the US Department of Education.
Funding Information:
This study was funded by a grant from the Institute of Education Science, US Department of Education through grant #R305H170027. The opinions are those of the authors and do not represent views of the Institute or the US Department of Education.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Authors
PY - 2022/10
Y1 - 2022/10
N2 - This study evaluated the validity of the Parent Engagement in Early Childhood Education (PEECE) Survey as an equitable measure of parent engagement in early childhood education that would address limitations of existing parent-report measures for use in urban schools in high poverty neighborhoods. We examined the PEECE Survey factor structure; item difficulty; discrimination; measurement invariance; and associations with children's kindergarten readiness, school absenteeism, and teachers’ ratings of parent engagement among 304 parents of kindergarteners (74% mothers, 68.4% African American, 63.2% single parents, 59.2% low-income). Factor analyses revealed 3 PEECE Survey factors: Knowledge/Expectations, Trust/Communication, and Home-based Engagement (factor reliabilities ranged from 0.63 to 0.85). There was minimal evidence of differential item functioning by parent and child characteristics. PEECE subscale scores were significantly positively associated with kindergarten readiness and teacher ratings of parent's engagement; and significantly negatively related to kindergarten absenteeism. Subscale scores did not differ by parents’ income level, marital status, or education or by child gender; African American parents reported higher scores on Knowledge/Expectations. Results suggest the 25-item PEECE Survey is a valid and equitable measure of parent engagement, capturing behaviors and perspectives that are feasible for parents with limited incomes and resources and linked to indicators of children's early academic success.
AB - This study evaluated the validity of the Parent Engagement in Early Childhood Education (PEECE) Survey as an equitable measure of parent engagement in early childhood education that would address limitations of existing parent-report measures for use in urban schools in high poverty neighborhoods. We examined the PEECE Survey factor structure; item difficulty; discrimination; measurement invariance; and associations with children's kindergarten readiness, school absenteeism, and teachers’ ratings of parent engagement among 304 parents of kindergarteners (74% mothers, 68.4% African American, 63.2% single parents, 59.2% low-income). Factor analyses revealed 3 PEECE Survey factors: Knowledge/Expectations, Trust/Communication, and Home-based Engagement (factor reliabilities ranged from 0.63 to 0.85). There was minimal evidence of differential item functioning by parent and child characteristics. PEECE subscale scores were significantly positively associated with kindergarten readiness and teacher ratings of parent's engagement; and significantly negatively related to kindergarten absenteeism. Subscale scores did not differ by parents’ income level, marital status, or education or by child gender; African American parents reported higher scores on Knowledge/Expectations. Results suggest the 25-item PEECE Survey is a valid and equitable measure of parent engagement, capturing behaviors and perspectives that are feasible for parents with limited incomes and resources and linked to indicators of children's early academic success.
KW - Early childhood education
KW - Education equity
KW - Family engagement
KW - Measurement
KW - Parent involvement
KW - School readiness
KW - Urban education
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U2 - 10.1016/j.childyouth.2022.106613
DO - 10.1016/j.childyouth.2022.106613
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85135390307
SN - 0190-7409
VL - 141
JO - Children and Youth Services Review
JF - Children and Youth Services Review
M1 - 106613
ER -